How does a early career faculty member survive the pursuit of campus-community initiatives? This article draws on experiences gained through a unique faculty position that combines community engagement with full academic responsibilities. "Survival" in this position emerges from the integration of community engagement with the institutional values of scholarship, as articulated by campus leaders and applied through academic disciplines in teaching and research, as well as the careful creation and institutionalization of reciprocal campus-community partnerships. The article provides lessons learned through adventures in applied teaching, negotiated criteria for tenure and promotion, and the cultivation of community relationships that have culminated in a truly "civic scholarship."